It has been no secret that I enjoy watching Britt Robertson movies, so there was no objection when my wife suggested we watch Avalon High. Besides enjoying the lead, I like the fact this was another telling of the legend of King Arthur. As far as I know, I’ve seen most of the significant productions based on the legend, so I was able to cross this off the list.
By now, we have seen the Arthur story played out by adults and kids, think First Knight and The Kid Who Would Be King. This time around, we find that Arthur is a high school student. The fun part of the story is Robertson’s character Allie, convinces her teacher and several of her friends that Arthur is the school’s star quarterback, Will (Gregg Sulkin). Despite their best intentions and countless hours of research, Will turns out not to be Arthur and the pursuit to find and protect the real King ensues.
The twists and turns of the story were interesting, keeping you engaged and guessing. Some could argue that the signs were all there that the kids were focused on the wrong kid, but I never released it. I just went along with it because who am I to judge who the real King would be. Ultimately I was happy with the outcome because it made sense.
This film would have been a hit movie today since it features a lead actress who ends up a hero. Even as a TV movie with a limited budget, there’s a story message about leadership, friendship, and responsibility. Avalon High was probably popular upon initial release like most Disney originals. I can see the film getting a second wave of interest since it’s now on Disney+. 6/10
Ten Stars or Less 